Earby driver Tom Preston and navigator Jamie Forrest guided their Mitsubishi Evo 6 to an impressive third overall and second in their class on the Wales Rally GB.

The pair were competing on the final round of the World Rally Championship and was based in Deeside, North Wales and competed on the fast following forest stages in Mid and North Wales.

With no trouble with the car throughout the event they made it to the finish in Llandudno on the Sunday afternoon with a memorable result and also secured two fastest stage times throughout the event.

Forrest, who comes from Crosshills, said: “It’s been an amazing event from start to finish, “Tom has driven a controlled rally with great car control on the very fast and slippy Welsh Forest stages, and considering this is the first time Tom has competed here, it is a great result for us.

“The atmosphere was electric as the stages were lined with hundreds and thousands of spectators." Preston and Forrest’s next outing is on this weekend’s Coppermines Grizedale Forest Stages which starts from Coniston in the Lake District and takes in the demanding Forest stages in Grizedale Forest.

The rally covers 40-stage miles with a mammoth last stage of 17 mile. The first car is aware at 10.30am.

Also competing in the event will be two more Craven crews driving Toyota Corolla AE86s Midgley Motor Sport’s car will be driven by Threshfield’s Will Midgley who will be partnered by the experienced Geoff Maybank on what will be their first attempt at the event.

The Threshfield duo of Chris and James Slater won their class in the Corolla a couple of years ago.

On that occasion there were a number of sections staged in the dark on Saturday night, followed by a full day on the Sunday.

They return now to a single day event, but it will be no less challenging.

There is also a mixed field of old and new in Class 2 (1600cc) with newer Fiesta R2s racing against the Corolla's, Lotus Sunbeams and even a Ford Escort Mark 1 driven by good friends Malcolm Davey and Paul Slingsby.It promises to be great a hghly-competitive event.